European cuisine: worst to best countries for foodies - There’s so many reasons we love to travel. In addition to seeing new sights and giving us a break from work, holidays give us the exciting chance to try new food. Cuisine is the gateway into a country’s culture and history. Spanish paella has ancient roots, and teaches us about the country’s Muslim history. Meanwhile, modern pizza was invented in Naples, and reflects the region's rich Neapolitan culture.

European food has changed constantly since the fall of Rome, and countries have influenced each other in many ways. For example, croissants aren’t French, they came from Austria, according to historical reports. What’s more, fish and chips isn’t even a British dish! It’s believed the dish was carried over by Jewish immigrants from Spain and Portugal.

With that said, Europe is defined by its different dishes and gastronomic cultures. Spain is heavily influenced by its gorgeous marisco, while the UK is perhaps best known as a melting pot of the world’s finest food. After all, it’s said that chicken tikka masala wasn’t born out of India, but Great Britain.

Come explore the food of Europe—there’s gorgeous Dutch desserts, perfect French pastries, strong German sausage, and great Greek grub. There’s no better way to explore Europe than to first understand what they eat. Without further ado, here are Europe’s finest cuisines. Dig in!

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Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland - Nordic dishes include Iceland's fermented shark. But overall, prices have put many consumers off.

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Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia - Food from these three countries are suited to the cool and moist northern climate. Soups are a hit, and pickled herring is also pretty popular. To many, it's an acquired taste.

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Croatia - Seafood is a speciality in Croatia, and cities like Split and Dubrovnik boast some amazing cuisine. However, dishes like “edible dormouse” may put off unsuspecting diners.

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Bulgaria - The Balkan nation shares some recipes with Greece and Turkey. Dishes normally feature dairy products and vegetables. Tripe soup is also popular, made from the muscle wall of a cow's stomach.

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Slovenia - Slovenian dishes include struklji, a dough dish that's either fried, boiled, or steamed. Food here is highly rated, but much of it is said to have originated from Austria.

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Czech Republic, and Slovakia - Goulash and dumplings are highlights from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Food is said to be pretty simple, but dishes like Vepro knedlo zelo should still be enjoyed.

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Luxembourg - The small, unassuming nation reflects the cuisine of its neighbors, France and Germany. To start, try träipen, a fried blood sausage best served with cabbage and potatoes.

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Ireland and UK - Despite their divisions, the UK and Ireland have pretty similar food. Ireland does better beer, naturally, but British dishes like shepherd's pie and Sunday roast are to be savored.

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Hungary and Romania - Hungary and Romania share many dishes, but the former has a famous food in goulash. Romania, on the other hand, tends to mix minced meat into its menus.

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Poland - There's more to Poland than Pierogi, and dishes like rosol, red beet soup, and Golonka are all worth your time.

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Netherlands -

Dutch dishes include foods like raw herring with chopped onion. There's way more than that though, with options like poffertjes, stroopwafel, or delicious bitterballen.

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Netherlands - Dutch restaurants have shown up on Michelin's list over 100 times. 

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Belgium - Belgian waffles may be world famous, but of course there's so much more to this country's cuisine. Choice dishes include moules-frites, mussels prepared in wine and butter.

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Belgium - Well over 100 Belgium restaurants have been recognized by Michelin in the past.

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Germany - It's a nation famed for beer and bratwurst (sausage), gateway drugs to Germany's incredible food culture. Spätzle egg noodles are one dish to look out for.

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Germany - German restaurants have frequently appeared on the Michelin guide. There are three-star restaurants dotted around Deutschland, such as The Table in Hamburg.

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Austria - Austria beats out its German neighbors on this list, with delicious dishes like veal and fried schnitzel.

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Greece and the Republic of Cyprus - Greek food is pretty great, and neighboring Cyprus also boasts some impressive cuisine. Souvlaki's sensational, but stuffed grape leaves and flatbread shawarma are also worth a taste too.

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Greece and the Republic of Cyprus - Two-star restaurant Spondi is one of Athens' best, while Varoulko Seaside is also well worth a try.

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Spain - The Iberian Peninsula is packed with exciting flavors, and Spain has always served up some delicious dishes. Paella, anyone?

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Spain - There's mouth-watering eateries all along the golden coast, while Madrid is home to DiverXO, an eccentric restaurant with three Michelin stars.

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Portugal -

Portugal edges ahead of its Spanish neighbor, with choice dishes like Açorda and Feijoada à transmontana.

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Portugal -

Head to Lisbon for Michelin star restaurants like Loco and Feitoria. Meanwhile, Porto is home to Pedro Lemos and Antiqvvm.

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France - Missing out on the top spot is France, home of brie, flaky pastries, and cassoulet. French cuisine is not just delicious, it's influential too. French food is even on UNESCO's list of "intangible cultural heritage."

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France - French cities like Paris are centers of world-class cuisine. There's nearly thirty restaurants with three Michelin stars, like Paul Bocuse in Lyon and Le Petit Nice in Marseille.

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Italy - Italian food is so good, it has become a tourist attraction in itself. Where would we be without Italian dishes like pizza, pasta, and panzanella?

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Italy -

Where to go to experience great Italian food? Well, anywhere really. Try risotto from Milan, bolognese from Bologna, carbonara from Rome, and pizza from Naples.

See also: The world’s spiciest cuisines

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